Netbooks get faster but less popular, at least in the US
18.05.12
"We're trying to show that netbooks have pockets of interest and momentum," Mark Miller, a marketing executive for netbook processors at Intel, told CNET.
Though there is a decline in netbook sales in the U.S., Western Europe, and Japan, in emerging countries the netbook is gaining traction, Miller said. "There is a long-term sustainable business driven primarily by these emerging markets."
U.S. demand for netbooks has fallen thanks to Apple's iPad and, more recently, Amazon's Kindle Fire. The iPad, for example, offers a solid Web browsing and media consumption experience, rendering the netbook less appealing than, say, three years ago when the iPad didn't exist.
Hewlett-Packard, Asus, Lenovo, Samsung, and Toshiba are all slated to ship new netbook models in January or early next year, Miller said.
And what else is coming down the pike for Atom? A single-core "Medfield" chip for Android tablets and smartphones is on the way, Miller said. And, following that, "Clovertrail" is "a vehicle for Windows 8 tablets and hybrids," he said.
Source: CNET